Know Your Beholder

More about the book

From a Pulitzer Prize finalist comes a hilarious and heartbreaking novel about a musician climbing back from rock bottom. In snowbound Pollard, Illinois, thirty-something Francis Falbo is holed up in his attic apartment, recovering from a series of traumas: his mother's death, his wife's desertion, and his rock band's breakup. He hasn't shaved in months and has lived in his bathrobe for nine days. Agoraphobic and isolated, he clings to his childhood home, renting rooms to a cast of eccentric tenants, including former circus performers searching for their missing daughter. The tight-knit community has survived a blizzard, but more dangers loom before summer arrives. Francis becomes increasingly entangled in the lives of others, leading to disastrous, hysterical, and ultimately healing outcomes. Fusing wit with the seriousness of adulthood gone awry, the author presents an uproarious and affecting tale about what we do when our lives crumble. Sharp-edged yet tenderhearted, the story introduces us to a lovably flawed character who begins to collect the jagged pieces of his dreams and start anew in life and love. Our foibles and efforts to persevere are laid bare with heart and hope.